Is the HCG Diet a Risky Fad?

I was reading this on Yahoo Health. I thought that I should pass it on.
TJ

Is the HCG Diet a Risky Fad?

As obesity hits an all-time high, desperate dieters may be risking their health to take pounds off with the controversial hCG diet. A fad that started in the 1950s—and is now the latest weight-loss craze—the diet involves daily injections of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) combined with extreme calorie restriction. Women all over America are flocking to doctors’ offices and weight-loss clinics to shell out up to $1,100 a month for a medical visit, a supply of the hormone, and syringes to inject themselves.

A cheaper version of the hCG diet, heavily promoted on the Internet, uses hCG drops, sprays, or lozenges that claim to be “homeopathic.” Both versions of the diet have sparked medical debate. “This diet is appalling,” Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Center, recently told ABC News. “It takes irresponsible diets to new heights.” Yet Dr. Mehmet Oz has promoted the diet on his popular TV program and declared it “worth a try.” So who’s right—and what’s the medical skinny on the hCG diet?


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